Guy Haley’s Titandeath, book 53 in the Horus Heresy series, is the penultimate novel before the Siege of Terra begins and the first proper look at the vast battle for the Beta-Garmon system. With both sides throwing ever-increasing numbers of troops and war machines into the grinder, the focus here is on the Titan Legios of Solaria (or Imperial Hunters) and Vulpa (Death Stalkers) as they clash throughout the system. There’s history between the two Legios that goes beyond general antipathy for the opposing side, and for Princeps Esha Ani Mohana of the Legio Solaria there’s a very personal element at the heart of the conflict.
To be clear, this is less about the big picture of the battle for Beta-Garmon and more about the conflict between two specific Legios within that wider battle. The strategic overview is covered, and the idea addressed that this is only ever going to be a delaying action for the loyalists, but the focus of the book is on the fascinating complexities of Titan Legios in action, and specifically the individual actions of a few specific princeps. As befits a book about God-Machines it’s a hefty tome, and full of BIG battles – as you’d imagine there are some seriously grand action scenes here, and Haley injects variety and excitement with no two battles alike. From Knights defending the ramparts of their ship from boarders (yep, while in space!) to city-levelling conflicts drawing in Imperator Titans and even Primarchs, and everything in between, if you’re after large-scale action then this is the book for you.
It’s not just endless battles though – even the most ardent Titan fan would tire of 400+ pages of explosions. In character terms this is much less male-dominated than most of the rest of the Heresy, as Legio Solaria is (at this point) an entirely female Legio. Haley cleverly covers the in-universe reasons for that with a characterful look at the Legio’s founding, and even addresses the reaction of (male) princeps from other Legios to learning of Solaria, and a topic which could have been contentious becomes part of the texture of the story. The two Legios adopt wildly differing tactics – Vulpa are all about brute force, while Solaria field mostly Reavers and Warhounds and live up to their Imperial Hunters name – and we see this both in the action scenes and in the development of the key characters and their relationships with their crews, peers and war machines. It’s an effective contrast, making for a compelling rivalry between the two Legios and an interesting character hook.
The action is undoubtedly hugely satisfying, but the work Haley puts in to differentiate the Legios, and develop the identities of the various princeps, pays dividend with a story that’s exciting and action-packed but also narratively engaging and never suffers from Titan fatigue. It might not be the book everyone expects, as while undeniably epic it does focus almost exclusively on the gradually escalating conflict between these two Legios – there are very few non-Titanicus characters, and even the Primarchs only really get passing references (although when Sanguinius shows up it’s BRILLIANT). That’s probably a sensible choice on Haley’s part, as there’s far too much going on to really dig into the big picture while still maintain a compelling narrative all in a single book.
It does feel a little disjointed in its placement within the wider series, and ultimately it would probably be better to read this before Slaves to Darkness, which came two books earlier in the series. Whatever the reasons for cramming this into the release schedule at the last minute, it’s good to get at least a glimpse of Beta-Garmon before the Siege starts, even if it’s a shame not to see more – perhaps there’s scope for another book somewhere down the line. Putting that aside, however, as a standalone book within the Heresy, focusing on the role of the Adeptus Titanicus, this is a great read. What this does particularly well, in addition, is offer a view of the Heresy in microcosm – two conflicting ideologies and a very personal, almost familial conflict between staggeringly powerful forces – but on just about the grandest scale imaginable. As long as you like reading about Titans, this is absolutely worth checking out.
Click here for the main Horus Heresy page on Track of Words.
